zeta xray
Expert Class
Posts: 416
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posted April 03, 2008 07:25 PM
"Unbiased" Not really. The British testers are no longer the ridres that they once used to be. In '04 they said the same crap about the ZX10r. Too fast. Too much. Crazy, Unmanageable. But in retrospect, the '04 ZX10 is by far the most desirable of the '04 liter bikes to own. History will show that the '08 ZX10r is the new pinnacle of liter bike performance for this year. Regardless of what any limp wristed British tester has to say.
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Bulers
Novice Class
Posts: 47
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posted April 04, 2008 12:28 AM
You're very wrong. What's been established across numerous comparisons now, including national superbike level riders, is that Honda have built the best bike ,with good reason.
Honda have made the fireblade to be as good as it can possibly be for the purpose it will be used and at a price the market will tolerate. In other words it's been designed and built with engineering supremacy as it's modus operandi.
Kawasaki have built a bike to a marketing ideal. Make it edgy, raucous and slightly recalcitrant at a price the market will tolerate. That's OK because there's a market for that product, that's their identity. Kawasaki made a ZX10 last year that was fast and easy to ride but their target customers didn't like it.
Kawasaki dont make the best litre sportsbikes, they make very very good litre sportsbikes with specific identies. If that's what you like then great ,reconcile that with yourself. Discrediting the entire motorcycling press won't change the facts. misrepresenting the facts only deludes yourselves.
You dont have to buy the best litre sportsbike available, you can buy the one you like.
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zx1kr
Pro
Posts: 1301
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posted April 04, 2008 09:16 AM
 Edited By: zx1kr on 4 Apr 2008 10:18
It's funny how no one has actually listened to what I've said & just continued on with the "Honda Rant". I'm not basing my opinions on what some mag "I" have never heard of has said. I have read the reviews of the CBR & the ZX10 in the mags the I respect as worthy critics & have yet to see a declared winner. I owned the 04 ZX10 & did quite a few track days with it in track ready form. It was a wicked fast, snarling beast that inhaled everything in front of it on the straights & lost almost all those gains in the tight stuff. I have an 04 R1 that is tons easier in the turns & just has to be kept in the sweet spot to go almost as fast in the straights (although I've recently done a ton of work to the motor & that won't be an issue this season). I do faster laps on the R1 so, the ZX10 is sold! Get my point? I'm not jumpin' on the Honda band wagon til I see the results in a mag I'd put 11000.00 down on their result of a shootout.
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zx1kr
Pro
Posts: 1301
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posted April 04, 2008 09:17 AM
quote:
quote:
Why don't we just wait to see what the reputable mags on THIS continent have to say ......
Are American journalists more reputable than british ones?!!
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I won't change my opinion because of bombardment with propaganda from honda loyalists.
......
Bruce Dunn races a Yamaha, would you consider him to be a Honda loyalist
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I will change my opinion due to unbiased head to head testing from a mag w/ testers that have proven themselves in the past to give valid & viable stats, info, feedback etc.
quote]
Bruce is a top ten finisher in the North West 200 road race. Does that qualify as having proven himself?
Dude! I don't give a shit!
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blitzkrieg
Needs a job
Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044
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posted April 04, 2008 12:36 PM
Ahhh The Eternal Debate...
One thing I have learned for sure through my many years in motorcycling is that the best motorcycle in the world is the one the person you are talking to just bought. :-)
The whole liter bike debate is just as obscure to me as the zx-12r vs. Busa debates were 5 years ago... They are so close that the rider IS the factor in 99.5% of the scenarios.
I've ridden a gixxer1K, zx-10 and R1 and every single one of them (and I am sure the Honda too had I have ridden one yet) are way more talented pieces of machinery than I am talented as a rider. Odd's are overwhelming you fall into that category too. ;-)
Modern sportbikes are so good that few people will ever see 8/10ths of their ability.
Carry on... Just haven't posted in a while and felt like throwing that out. LOL
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stevewfl
Moderator
Posts: 27920
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posted April 05, 2008 05:27 AM
"Ahhh The Eternal Debate..."
+1
the fierce competition among the manufacturers have been the reason sportbike technology has evolved so fast and litre bikes are oh so good 
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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zeta xray
Expert Class
Posts: 416
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posted April 06, 2008 06:23 AM
quote:
It's funny how no one has actually listened to what I've said & just continued on with the "Honda Rant". I'm not basing my opinions on what some mag "I" have never heard of has said. I have read the reviews of the CBR & the ZX10 in the mags the I respect as worthy critics & have yet to see a declared winner. I owned the 04 ZX10 & did quite a few track days with it in track ready form. It was a wicked fast, snarling beast that inhaled everything in front of it on the straights & lost almost all those gains in the tight stuff. I have an 04 R1 that is tons easier in the turns & just has to be kept in the sweet spot to go almost as fast in the straights (although I've recently done a ton of work to the motor & that won't be an issue this season). I do faster laps on the R1 so, the ZX10 is sold! Get my point? I'm not jumpin' on the Honda band wagon til I see the results in a mag I'd put 11000.00 down on their result of a shootout.
You have touched on a good point. I used to do track day photography and my observations from sitting in many corners watching thousands of bikes and riders of all skill levels was that the R-1 seemed to have a certain composure that gave riders confidence to get to a relatively high level of cornering speed. This was especially true of novice and intermediate riders. On the other hand, riders who already had a high level of confidence seemed to be able to ride any liter bike through the corners at insanely high speed and they did it with stability and grace. So when I read reviews where the bike, any bike, has overwhelmed the test riders, I feel safe in drawing the conclusion that the riders talent was the limiting factor, not the bikes capabilities.
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It is good to be green.
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